hello this is breakfast, with louise minchin and dan walker. huge mudslides and flooding hit california — 13 people have died. police say parts of the state resemble a world war one battlefield and the death toll is expected to go higher. trees were just coming down. we ran through the house. then the bouldersjust busted we ran through the house. then the boulders just busted through we ran through the house. then the bouldersjust busted through our house. good morning — it's wednesday 10 january. also this morning — a new army recruitment campaign is criticised as too politcally correct. i was really worried about whether i would be t:$*l i than confident about how i was more than confident about how i was. the efforts are meant to

reassure people worried about their sexuality or gender or religion. the five pence charge on plastic bags could be extended to small shops and businesses in england which are currently exempt. the boom in posh burgers could be over — byron — one of the best known high street brands is in trouble. i'm looking at why and what it means. in sport, it's not out of sight for bristol city. manchester city needed added time to beat them — with the second leg of the league cup semi—finals yet to come. and he was once predicted to be the next lewis hamilton until he lost both legs in a racing accident ——— but now billy monger‘s back behind the wheel. and carol has the weather for us. good morning. some fog around this morning across northern ireland. extra ca re of morning across northern ireland. extra care of your travelling further on. rain pushing eastwards. but behind that, some sunshine. good morning, first our main story.

at least 12 people have died in mudslides and floods in southern california. witnesses have described watching huge boulders bouncing down hillsides. our north america correspondent, james cook reports from los angeles. the rains came suddenly, just before dawn. torrential and terrifying. they coursed over the slick, scorched earth, gathering speed until mud was roaring down to the sea like an express train. the deluge smashed into the very homes which had just survived california's biggest recorded wildfire. the result: utter devastation. we had a very difficult time assessing the area and responding to many of those areas to assist those people. the only words i can really think of to describe what it looked like, was it looked like a world war i battlefield. the communities hardest hit were montecito and carpentaria, on the pacific coast north of los angeles. these are some of the most exclusive neighbourhoods in the united states.

home to stars like oprah winfrey and the actor rob lowe. but no amount of money could stop this torrent. the mud roared down here with terrifying speed, sweeping everything in its path. the firefighters won't let us go up there any further, they say the situation could change in the blink of an eye and as you can see, this is how dangerous it is. rescue workers are still scouring scores of damaged and demolished homes, searching for survivors. police say the number of dead here is certain to rise. james cook, bbc news in southern california. the army is launching a new recruitment campaign which emphasises the "emotional and physical support" given to soldiers. a series of radio, television and online adverts addresses concerns potential recruits might have about issues such as their sexuality or religion. there's been criticism

from some former officers, who've accused the army of bowing to political correctness and going soft. andy moore reports. the new ads pose a series of questions. growing up, i had my heart set on the army. another reassures would—be recruits that religious faith will be respected. the army embraces that you come from a different faith. even on exercise, there is always a quiet moment to go into a cabin and just sort of find a little corner and do your prayers there. recruiting for the army is a constant battle. every year, for seven years now, more soldiers have left the army than signed up. there is a lot of internal debate about how best it should be done. i love the idea of the army... the army says its belonging campaign has already sparked a significant surge in interest, but others say that this new series of ads panders to to political correctness

and the so—called "snowflake generation." and the so—called "snowflake generation". last month, the new defence secretary, gavin williamson, halted plans to ditch the army's be the best slogan which has been used for decades. an internal report stated it was datist, elitist and noninclusive. this new campaign does include the slogan, but it is not given the prominence it once had. andy moore, bbc news. thousands of tourists have been left stranded after heavy snow in the alps cut off towns and villages across switzerland, france and italy. visitors are being airlifted out of zermatt, one of switzerland's most popular ski resorts, where around 13,000 people are stuck. a british skier, john bromell, from lincolnshire is still missing in france after bad weather hampered rescue efforts. mr bromell‘s friends say he's a very experienced skier and hope he's managed to take shelter.

new measures to clamp down on plastic waste are to be announced by the government. it's part of a 25—year plan on the environment. we're joined from westminster by our political correspondent ben wright. ben, what can we expect? quite radical, some of these plans? the prime minister will be making a speech about this tomorrow, said the government's agenda for the next 25 is an environmental policy and trying to cut down on the use of plastic. 0f trying to cut down on the use of plastic. of course, we have had plastic. of course, we have had plastic bag charges for quite awhile. in england, they are introduced in 2015. 5p charge placed on single use bags. they employ more than 250 people. since that charge has been introduced, a huge reduction in the number of plastic bags used and a lot of money raised for good causes. tomorrow, the prime

minister will say the government is going to consult on extending that plastic bag charge to pretty much all shops including the small corner convenience stores. with the aim of reducing further plastic bag use. that will be a consultation that begins tomorrow. some exemptions. if you go to a pet shop, you will get a free plastic bag for your goldfish. that does make sense, after all. thank you very much indeed. i don't know, you could put it in a jar or something. it's quite an image, isn't it? walking out of a pet shop with a plastic bag. passengers on thameslink, southern and great northern services have suffered the worst disruption of any rail franchise according to a highly critical report. the government's spending watchdog, the national audit office, says the country's largest rail operator has failed to provide value for money. it says industrial action has been a majorfactorfor delays but the department for transport has also made decisions which "have negatively impacted on passengers".

the government has admitted the disruption has been unacceptable and has called on the rmt union to end what it calls needless strike action. a 16—year—old boy will appear in court today with the murder of a shop assistant in north london. vijay patel was attacked in a row over the sale of cigarette papers outside his shop in mill hill on saturday night. he later died in hospital. donald trump's former chief strategist, steve bannon, has stepped down from the right wing breitba rt news organisation where he built his reputation. the move comes amid a row over remarks he reportedly made about the president's son. he described a meeting donald trumer held in new york with a russian lawyer during the 2016 presidential election campaign as "treasonous". the search for malaysia airlines flight mh370 will resume today, nearly a year after efforts to locate the plane were officially suspended. the search for the aircraft, which went missing with 239 people on board in march 2014,

was the largest in aviation history. it will now be resumed by a an american company using unmanned submarines. 0ur south—east asia correspondent jonathan head joins us from bangkok. what exactly will they be searching for now considering there has been a huge process undertaken? to new developments. this company has much greater search capabilities than the previous company. it reckons it can search a much wider area and a much shorter time. time is constrained because you have certain months of the year that you can search. the other is that there has been continual analysis of other dater including models of the drift patterns of the bits of the brief in the aircraft that have watched up in east africa, reversing nose and also

looking at some satellite images that may possibly be plane debris from a french satellite. all of this new analysis was beginning to be available at the time they suspended the search which suggests there is a more promising area they haven't looked at to the north. a new zone to look at now where there is some evidence that the plane might be. you have a much more effective search capability with this company. the company must be confident. they have taken this on. the malaysia government is saving, go ahead and search. if you don't find it, don't get paid. we will indeed. we have some more pictures. they are taken in the sahara. this is on the edge of the sahara. snow is very rare in this part of the world. even though

the desert can be cold at night, there is rarely enough water in a port of any precipitation. but there is snow on the sand dunes, only the third time in a0 years. it didn't last long, and melted shortly after. we only saw still put it yesterday. -- still we only saw still put it yesterday. —— still footage. sorry for passing on my cough. hopefully, no one else will get it. bristol did well, didn't they? even on the bbc website, it said they were excellent, which i think is a ringing endorsement. just in injury time winner which means bristol city lost the first leg. manchester city had to come from behind in the first leg of their league cup semifinal

against bristol city. the championship side have had a great cup run and their positive approach paid off — they took the lead thanks to a bobby reid penalty. sub sergio aguero's late winner means manchester city take a 2—1 lead into the second leg. after a controversial 12 months the fa say they're to introduce new policies to address issues including racial discrimination, as suffered by the chelsea ladies striker eni aluko. the governing body's bringing in the so—called ‘rooney rule', aimed at getting more people from black and minority ethnic groups into top jobs. as have really england will be withoutjoe marler for their opening two six nations matches. the harlequins prop's been given a six—week ban for a dangerous tackle. he'll miss the games against wales and italy. and after his two—goal fa cup heroics for nottingham forest, erik leehigh‘s reward is a brand new dog. his wife kathryn had promised if he ever scored a hat—trick they'd get one. but after pressure from players and fans, she finally relented to let ‘gunner‘ the puppy, join the leehigh family.

do know what they called it? it is a french bulldog. he is called gunner because they beat arsenal. it is a great name for a dog. i think he is either a boston terrier or a french bulldog. i can't really talk about this. i have a labrador called ruby. waffle is not keen. not terribly. they can be in the same room now, they have reached a truce. there is a bit of talk involved as well. anyway, it's good that they are making friends. this is lovely. is a dog walking weather? is it? anyway, carol has the weather now. you are

quite right. it's also quite nice as well put humans. this morning, once again, rain moving across the country. brightest guys coming in. in scotland you can see this arc of rain. as the weather front which is drifting steadily towards the east. it then extends across parts of the pennines and into parts of the midlands. the whole lot is pushing in the direction of the north sea. moving away from that, it is a cloudy start to the day to some. it's brightening up quite nicely. many of us seeing a bit more sunshine. the odd spot of drizzle here and there. in local rule areas, you might see a bit of ice around. —— local country areas. maybe

they're in mind if you are travelling. there goes the rain heading towards east anglia. eventually getting into the north to northern ireland in the far north—east. behind it, a lot of bright sky. a fair bit of sunshine. we are looking at nine's and tens. in the north to, this band of rain, we have some relatively mild air. as we have some relatively mild air. as we head on through the evening and overnight, eventually we see this rain pushed away into the north sea. behind it, with all the moisture around, a bit more fog once again across northern ireland who parts of wales. excuse me. more widespread. as we head towards the end of the week, also foster first thing in the morning. remember the fog first thing in the morning. much of all of

the day, but others, it will into cloud. towards the west, something brighter coming in. if you are stuck in an area with fog, temperatures will be much more above freezing, looking at one or two degrees but if you are out of it, we're looking at five, six, seven. down a touch on today. for friday again, fairly quiet but a lot of dry weather around. write with as well. then we have a weather front coming in from the west. some rain and strengthening winds. the course of friday to saturday, that weather front makes its way from the rest. taking its rain with it. again, you can see the isobars and we're looking at gaels in land. 0n saturday, right in the east. you will notice the wind. temperatures wise, 6— eight degrees. thank you

very much that. sorry for passing on the bbc breakfast cough this morning. it's a nightmare, isn't it? how did you do that, dan? carol, relax, i've got powers. there is going to it next? who knows? thank you very much. hopefully not me. i think ithinki i think i recently gave it to you a couple of days ago. you were blowing that those for england, weren't you? let's look at the front pages of the papers. here is the front page of the times. top hospital cuts cancer ca re the times. top hospital cuts cancer care due to lack of staff. and meghan markle is on the front page of virtually every newspaper. she and her husband to be, they visited and her husband to be, they visited a radio station in london yesterday. lots of talk about what she was wearing. apparently her top sold out in marks & spencer immediately. they call her the queen of the airwaves.

there she is, the front page of the daily telegraph as well. their main story is about brexit. angela merkel, the german chancellor, against a british plan for a so—called managed a divergence from the eu. -- so—called managed a divergence from the eu. —— managed divergences of a talking about plastic bags as well. the administer is talking about art. —— the environment minister talking about that. this is a picture from a beachin about that. this is a picture from a beach in cornwall. as a result of the storm you can see, look, all the rubbish that has washed up. plastics, so much of it. so many people now, i think, on the back of cap blue planet too, and increased coverage as well, they are really thinking about single use plastics. —— back of blue planet ii. meghan—mania. the crowd shouting out "we'd love you". and the massacre of the middle—aged men. "we'd love you". and the massacre of

the middle-aged men. let's go through some other ones quickly. talking about lady lucan, who a p pa re ntly talking about lady lucan, who apparently took her life of the mistaken fears she had parkinson's disease. that is according to an inquest. and meghan markle on the front page of the papers, talking about cuts to cancer care. front page of the papers, talking about cuts to cancer carelj front page of the papers, talking about cuts to cancer care. i did that one. did you! do you know what, i don't think i've ever done that. you can't put it down there! we have a filing system. is this because you are annoyed about my comment about blowing your nose? put it over there! we ironed on the morning, and then we bring them to you... there isa then we bring them to you... there is a system. i didn't know the system. sorry. how long have you been here? i have a bit of nice news, actually. you know how i was talking yesterday about the tough time retailers had over christmas? 0xfam has done particularly well online. that is the story in the times this morning. vintage and

designer clothes for the party season, they were the online shop's top search terms. they managed to do well. they saw their sales at the online shop jumped 33% well. they saw their sales at the online shopjumped 33% in the christmas trading period. shoppers looking to gifts which also helped to fight oddity as well. that is quite nice. —— fight poverty. good to see people recycling their fashion stuff to help charity, that is quite a nice thing. good to see their sales have gone up. this isn't business—related at all, but i wanted to point this out to our bosses. did you know that sleeping in is better than going to the gym for your health? no way! yes way. what counts as a sleep in? well, for us, it would be about 16. an extra 90 minutes in bed. —— be about 6am. if we could ask to put the programme 90 minutes later... would anybody

mind if we started at 7:30am? so instead of getting up early and going for a instead of getting up early and going fora run, you instead of getting up early and going for a run, you should sleep in? sally told me this. she was told bya in? sally told me this. she was told by a doctor that actually, sometimes we think it is all about exercise, but sleep is just we think it is all about exercise, but sleep isjust as important. rest. especially if you have a stressfuljob. you don't want to go and exercise and keep the adrenaline pumping. we had some bodybuilders in last year. the world's strong this man, and mr universe. they both said sleep is crucial for the man, and mr universe. they both said sleep is crucialfor the building of muscles. as much time as they spend in the gym, they spend more time recovering to make sure they build up recovering to make sure they build up their muscles. look at my muscles. i am looking ahead to the winter olympics. lots of the papers are. they begin at the beginning of next month. you are going, aren't you? i am. lovely. the uk has a target of about a— ten medals, and they have a nice profile of some of

they have a nice profile of some of the athletes coming up in the papers. joel fearon was a pizza delivery guy while he was trying to make ends meet to get his athletics, and now his bobsleigh career, off the ground. they are seeing here is the ground. they are seeing here is the world's fast as pizza delivery quy the world's fast as pizza delivery guy. hopefully he will win a medal in pyeongchang in a few weeks. guy. hopefully he will win a medal in pyeongchang in a few weekslj have some quickfire ones, tell me a favourite. girls school bans calling girls girls. they say they will not use the word girls any more, but they will keep it in their title. right. customers scoff at $2 -- at £2.50 stake in marks & spencer. you get a bit of lemon and herb dressing with it, but it is ten times more expensive than actually buying a cauliflower and cutting it in half yourself. and ready for ticker—off. this is a curry which is being flown into a this is a curry which is being flown intoa number of this is a curry which is being flown into a number of expats in france,

ona into a number of expats in france, on a special, scheduled flight coming in from portsmouth, because they say that french curry doesn't taste right. it doesn't taste right. i used to live in france, and indian restaurants don't taste anything like indian restaurants here. they fired from the uk because they say it isn't right. and they have a big indian meal in the hangar where it arrives. how rich are they? i thought the same thing, but because they get a discounted flight in the number of people involved, it is only a0 euros each, with a drink. still quite pricey for a curry. 0k, steph doesn't like it. so, this time last year billy monger was being tipped by many as the next lewis hamilton. he was 17, star of f1 racing, but after an horrific accidents he had both his legs amputated. his recovery and determination have astounded doctors. this week he will drive in front of crowds for the first time since his accident, but anybody expecting him to take things slowly might be in for a shock. billy whizz, and nickname he was

determined to keep. it is nine months since billy monger had both lower legs amputated after a car crash. this is a final practice before driving with a stunt team at earning's nec. the aim is to put on a good show. we have got a great team, a great bunch of lights doing a show, i am just hoping everything goes smoothly and we have a good time and do ourselves proud. dunnington park, last april. when billy's formula 1 car hit a stationary vehicle. that is horrendous! all i wanted to do was to get through it and be alive. it was a slight moment, when i thought i wouldn't drive again. it hasn't changed a dream. the dream stays the same, iwant changed a dream. the dream stays the same, i want to be an f1 driver.

you've got your prosthetics and you are still able to control the car and the pedals. many people would find that really extraordinary. when you control the pedal normally you do it through europe —— through your ankle, that is how you control your input to the pedals. it is i don't have ankles, the way i control it is through my leg like this. —— because i don't. rather than going like that, it is just a push i don't. rather than going like that, it isjust a push motion instead, to control the car. terry grant has been control —— been training billy ahead of the auto international event. he is one of the world's top stunt drivers. drive out, drive out! billy is a very special light, for sure. regardless of his injuries. the moment you are rehearsing on an airfield there is going to be concrete pillars were the cones are. —— cones. going to be concrete pillars were the cones are. -- cones. the level of control he has now, for

prosthetic legs, it is phenomenal. although billy can use the accelerator, his car as it is so that this lever controls the break. he has been backed by mission motorsport, a charity which typically helps wounded servicemen and servicewomen driving and, often in specially adapted cars. the freedom of mobility is a phenomenal thing. if that is taken away from you as an adult, it has a dramatic effect on your life, on your personal freedoms, and also, effect on your life, on your personalfreedoms, and also, i think, on your sense of self and your independence. and to be able to give that back to somebody is an extraordinary thing to be able to do. what the family think about you getting behind the wheel? my mum was very nervous! but if i don't do it what else am by going to do with my life? i need to make my life into something positive. billy monger, backin something positive. billy monger, back in the driving seat. i loved that. inspirational, determined, a fabulous young man.

let's catch the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london news. katharine carpenter. as we have been hearing, passengers on south—western railway could face delays this morning because of industrial action. it is the second of three planned strikes this week in a dispute with the union over the role of guards. south—western says it hopes to run about 70% of services, but passengers travelling on the network, including out of waterloo, are likely to face delays or disruptions. the number of acid attacks in london has gone up a 65% over the past two years according to the latest figures from the met. few suspects are being charged. the figures, obtained by conservatives on the london assembly, show there we re on the london assembly, show there were a total of a29 offences by the end of october 2017. up from 260 in 2015. ewan had the most incidents.

—— newham. an internet appeal for the family of vijay patel, murdered outside a shop in mill hill has raised more than £10,000 in a day. he was killed on saturday in a row over cigarette papers. the appeal, started by mill hill synagogue which is close to the murder scene, had originally set a target of £1,000. a 16—year—old youth is due to appear in court today. let's have a look at the travel situation now. on the trains, of course we have that strike on south—western railway, and they are running a reduced timetable. you'll want to check that before you set off. this is stock well road, close between brixton and stock well, closed since about one a.m.. a man in his 30s is in hospital after being shot. and finally in westminster horseferry road is closed for repairs to a gas leak. there's no access from parliament square to whitehall because of the works there. good morning. it is perhaps not

feeling as cold this morning as yesterday, but it is still rather damp and it is still rather cloudy. it will stay mostly cloudy as well and that is all because of this cold front. it has been moving across very gradually overnight and will continue to do so during the day. it is taking its time. it may take most of the morning, at least, for this cloud to begin to thin and maybe break. you could still get some rain first being, —— first thing, hoping we could get some brighter weather. maximum temperatures it in up to nine or 10 celsius. overnight tonight it could move further back and become cloudy again. we could get one or two macleay spells further west, meaning missed and developing. spots of light rain and drizzle. temperatures between four degrees and five celsius. a murky start morning. but mr and fog might ta ke start morning. but mr and fog might take its time to lift, but when it does, it will lift into low cloud.

another rather grey day. temperatures up to eight celsius on thursday. as we go through thursday evening of thursday night temperatures dropping again. mist and fog likely to develop. another murky morning for friday, hanging onto these cold temperatures into the weekend. i'm back with the latest from the bbc london newsroom in half an hour. plenty more on our website at the usual address. now though, it's back to breakfast. bye for now. hello — this is breakfast with dan walker and louise minchin. we'll bring you all the latest news and sport in a moment, but also on breakfast this morning: we'll speak to the british polar explorer ben saunders in his first tv interview since being forced to abandon his expedition to cross antarctica unassisted. also this morning, it might be cold and dark at this time of year but going for a walk in the park or the countryside good morning.

at least 13 people have died in floods in southern california. among those saved was a 1a—year—old girl who'd been tapped for hours in the ruins of her house. police say they expect the number of dead to rise. extraordinaire pictures. benjamin hyatt and his family were force to evacuate their home. he'sjoins us from a hotel in pismo. good morning. thank you so much for joining us. tell us what happened to you and your family. last night, we we re you and your family. last night, we were an involuntary evacuation zone. previously, we had been in a

mandatory evacuation zone to the fires that happened a few weeks ago. nobody was really taking things too seriously. we stayed at the house. i stayed up last night. around 2:30 a.m., the power ran out. when the power ran out, really, really hard rain started. crazy rain. it lasted five minutes. it wasjust rain started. crazy rain. it lasted five minutes. it was just normal rate. i went outside the house to see what was happening. it seemed kind of quiet. there was a bit of a river going down our street. i thought the storm cell was headed straight to the mountains. i figured i should stay up. it headed straight for the burn zone and literally three minutes later, there was a rattling and a crash. by three feet

of mud. it isjust going to keep coming. the pictures, you described the scene. he may have had a lucky escape by the looks. our neighbourhood, there is a creek that goes along that one neighbour who live there in the 1990s, she had sandbags and said it could be a river coming down the street but nobody had seen anything like this. something happened. something releasing these big boulders. our ya rd releasing these big boulders. our yard is gone. there is no yard. there are trees that i don't know where they came from. they would have taken alcohol wing where we sleep. the cars that were on the street ended up on the freeway which

is the main artery to los angeles. it's kind of goes down on our neighbourhood. i don't know how much goes down five of all we got. you will. all of it all. almost like a leader. -- almost like a wave. it sounds absolutely terrifying. your neighbour is ok? the neighbour is 0k. neighbour is ok? the neighbour is ok. everyone on our street, we got hit really hard and everyone we

know, the firefighters came by. we had another friend who was on the roof with her two boys. from three o'clock in the morning and tools seven o'clock when we were rescued. one of the boys bedrooms is gone. somehow sees —— somehow he survived that and got up onto roof. everyone in our neighbourhood was fine. firefighters evacuated us then. benjamin, you are clearly shaken as well. thank you very much are telling us your story. best of luck forgetting everything back. as you can imagine, lots of pictures and coverage. american talk show host ellen to generous who has a home in montecito tweeted this picture. that is the main road to los angeles

from that area. also one of the rescue units has been saying areas that have been like roadways have been unrecognisable due to the large amount of mud and to breathe. also, oprah winfrey owns a home in one of those areas. she has taken a video and put on instagram. wading through the mud on her back garden. helicopters rescuing my neighbours, looking for missing persons. so far we have 13 people have lost their lives. the army is launching a new recruitment campaign which emphasises the "emotional and physical support" given to soldiers. a series of radio, television and online adverts addresses concerns potential recruits might have about issues such as their sexuality or religion. there's been criticism from some former officers, who've accused the army of bowing to political correctness and going soft.

but the ministry of defence says its campaign has sparked significant interest from people wanting to join up. new measures to clamp down on plastic waste are to be announced by the government. it's part of a 25—year plan on the environment. retailers have fewer than 250 staff are exempt from the 5p levy. all retailers in scotland and wales are already required to charge for plastic bags. passengers on thameslink, southern and great northern services have suffered the worst disruption of any rail franchise according to a highly critical report. the government's spending watchdog, the national audit office, says the country's largest rail operator has failed to provide value for money. it says industrial action has been a majorfactorfor delays but the department for transport has also made decisions which "have negatively impacted on passengers". the government has admitted

the disruption has been unacceptable and has called on the rmt union to end what it calls needless strike action. cat was telling is that bristol city wa nted cat was telling is that bristol city wanted to finish that thai but they are still in it. sergio was celebrating that injury time and celebrating that injury time and celebrating might. imagine what bristol city can achieve when they get the second leg at ashton gate in front of their home fans. bristol city were less than two minutes away from going into the second leg of their league cup semi—final with manchester city on level terms. the championship side have had a great cup run and their positive approach paid off at the etihad, they took the lead thanks to a bobby reid penalty just before half time. manchester city had named a strong side and kevin de bruyne, captain on the night, drew them level in the second half.

but sergio aguero is a pretty good sub to bring on when you need a goal and his injury time winner means manchester city take a 2—1 lead into the second leg at ashton gate. the football association is to implement a number of changes to make the national governing body truly representative of the players it represents. it's been a difficult 12 months for the fa. the chelsea ladies striker eni aluko said she felt victimised for reporting racial discrimination by former england manager mark sampson. the fa has pledged to interview at least one candidate from black and minority ethnic groups for future roles in the england set—up. i think the message it sends out is the fa is for all. what it will say is the opportunities to have a career beyond playing in the fa and the wider football workforce is something that is both desirable and something that is both desirable and something the fa is serious about

promoting. the former newcastle striker peter beardsley will take a "period of leave" whilst the club investigates allegations of racism and bullying made against him. beardsley is now the club's under—23s coach, but multiple complaints have been lodged against him, including one from 22—year old winger yasin ben el—mhanni. beardsley has released a statement and says he categorically denies the allegations. britain's defending dakar rally champion sam sunderland has crashed out of this year's race. sunderland started day four with the overall lead but hit a hole, injuring his back in a fall. he carried on for another five kilometers but eventually had to be airlifted away. sunderland later regained feeling in his legs but went to peru's capital lima for tests. finally, the good news keeps coming for nottingham forest's erik lehigh. the defender scored twice in his side's incredible a—2 win

over arsenal in sunday's fa cup third round and afterwards lichaj revealed his wife kathryn had promised the family could get a dog if he ever scored a hat—trick. well forest's players and fans put the pressure on her to let erik have his way after his weekend heroics. and last night the american revealed its paid off. and the name they chose for the new puppy gunner. more than half of people with hearing loss haven't told her employer because they are stock action on hearing loss server are joined by barbara murray, agp, and jennifer standley, born with hearing loss. genet, let's start with you. what we are concerned about? we are

worried about telling other people about your hearing difficulties? will offer my early career, i kept my hearing loss hidden. mainly because i hadn't expected my hearing loss and i didn't want to be disabled or view it for my disability. i want them to see me rather than my disability. i was worried that i would be judged and that people would just not really see me and my potential. that people would just not really see me and my potentiallj that people would just not really see me and my potential. i was reading this morning about quite a few people growing their how long did you do that? i had my hair very long and a shaved completely the charity. that was very empowering for me. i have glitter and i'm decorated. so now, ifind it actually much easy to be open and i find i can be the kind of professional that i want to be put across the image that i want now.

that i am open. that and make the most of the support and the technology that is available. the figures are quite shocking. people with hearing loss don't disclose their condition. life would be a lot easier maybe if they would do that, would it? the statistics are frightening because there are 10 million adults and a5,000 children with hearing loss and it takes about ten yea rs with hearing loss and it takes about ten years before somebody owns up to feeling that they are having a problem with their hearing. the group that has affected the most are the elderly. they would benefit probably most but they feel stigmatised. they feel judged. probably most but they feel stigmatised. they feeljudged. it's of ageing. and also, get confused. he was in dementia. they get diagnosed in me. they've got twice the incidence of risk of dementia

oui’ the incidence of risk of dementia our death. i think if we could encourage people to have an early diagnosis and get the treatment sooner, as we were saying about having a device, people are socially isolated if they are deaf. it affects so many aspects of their life. that would enhance them in their education, in their health, in so many ways. jennifer, how did you find telling other people about it? did that put you off sometimes? i'm sure people watching this would think, if i told my colleagues or people i work with, it might affect that relationship. with previous employers, i have had a less than good experience. managers not being understanding. people not knowing how to support me. on the surface, i appeared to be doing quite well, that i was ok. i found a telling

collea g u es that i was ok. i found a telling colleagues in being open and upfront, it really worked very well for me. were i work now, my collea g u es for me. were i work now, my colleagues are really good. people will adapt quite happily. if they are doing something that is not helpful, maybe because they don't realise. i've actually found now, i can progress in my career. being open about the hearing loss means that right at the beginning, i have hearing loss. we can put that to the side in what i can do, my actual skills. what i can do in myjob. it's taken me till i was in my 30s to get there. i understand the people, there is a journey towards accepting your hearing loss are fully ca n accepting your hearing loss are fully can actually move on and start making a positive contribution. fully can actually move on and start making a positive contributionlj making a positive contribution.” have never seen hearing aids like that but they are absolutely fantastic. thank you forjoining us. good morning. this morning we have a

band of rain moving from the west towards the east of the united kingdom. as that clears most of the east but not all, it will brighten up east but not all, it will brighten up behind us, and we will see lots of lovely sunshine. but we also have fog across northern ireland. that will be slow to lift. there will be fog patches across south wales in south—west england. the rain will clear off into the north sea but will tend to linger across parts of east anglia up towards yorkshire and certainly across north—east scotland. temperature wise, we are looking at a range of 6— 10 celsius. as we head through the evening and the overnight period you can see we still have some of that rain around but with damp surfaces we will see further fog forming. across but with damp surfaces we will see furtherfog forming. across northern ireland, wales, parts of wales and into the midlands and central and southern england, and into southern counties. that will be slow to clear and there will also be frustrated first thing. some of that fog will not lift at all during the day. some of it will lift into low cloud. where it does lift we will see

sunshine, especially in the north and the west. if you are stuck in an area that hangs onto the fog, temperatures will barely be above freezing. if not we are looking at 6- freezing. if not we are looking at 6— eight celsius. thank you, carol. we are having one of those days today. i was ignoring dan. at least you won't coughing. —— were not. the boom in posh burgers could be over. byron — one of the best known high street brands — is in trouble. steph is looking at why and what it means. they are in trouble, basically. it is an interesting story because it is an interesting story because it is not just byron is an interesting story because it is notjust byron facing this. there's been a real explosion in trendy fast food joints over the last decade, from upmarket burgers and posh pizzas, to indian and mexican street food. it's fair to say we're spoilt for choice. and that's part of the problem for businesses like byron. the burger company with more than 70 restaurants around the country. is struggling and is looking for a rescue plan. with me now is matt dunham who runs his own insolvency business. good morning. good morning. can you

explain what is happening with byron, what stage it is that? at the moment they are proposing what is called a voluntary arrangement with creditors. they are saying to their creditors, all certain creditors, we cannot pay you in full and what we need is a formal arrangement to say that we can pay you, but over a period, or whatever the specific details might be. so they are looking like things like rent production? a bit more time to pay their debts? basically, yes. it might be that they say to some of the shareholders, actually, we cannot pay you in full is able you ta ke cannot pay you in full is able you take debt instead? how likely are they to get that? these arrangements with their creditors. well, they have the get 75% of the creditors caught up in it to agree to it. i don't know the details and i don't know the outcome of that. but it happens on a regular basis. it has happened across retail in the past and certainly across restaurants. there have been issues across all of

them with a whole range of different issues like costs going up. and the fashion within the sector, people go to different restaurants at different times because it is fashionable at the moment. so it isn't unique to byron, the problems they are having right now?” isn't unique to byron, the problems they are having right now? i doubt it. they will be issues across the sector. winds such as rising costs, food costs going up as the stirling devalues, but also things like living wage costs going up, if our paying their staff living wage. —— sterling. and also, the result of competition in the market, with new entra nts competition in the market, with new entrants arriving all the time and new burger chains coming in, new places to go and eat. that is what is quite interesting about this. anybody can see themselves how many trendy restaurants there are now, doing lots of things that were classed as cheap food in a much posher way now. that seems to be the problem, that there are so many and we are so spoilt for choice. it is across a whole range of sectors. i

remember looking at the number of coffee shops in the centre of manchester and thinking, i cannot leave two or three coffee shops is all they used to be. there are now dozens all they used to be. there are now d oze ns of all they used to be. there are now dozens of them and they are all busy. it is down to fashions and trends. these will have been affected by things like new entrants to the market, like the delivery people coming in. who would have thought a few years ago to have casual dining in your own home delivered piping hot? who do you think will survive? what is the key to making sure you get through this? that is the million dollar question. the main thing is for each organisation, management, the quality of management. if businesses are starting to struggle and finding things tough, take advice early on. what we do with our trade body is work with companies and organisations to try to keep them going. the earlier you take the advice the more chance you have of being successful. thank you. we will have the sainsbury‘s results just after seven o'clock as well, the latest retailer to tell us what has

happened over christmas. latest retailer to tell us what has happened over christmasm latest retailer to tell us what has happened over christmas. it is results season, isn't it? from sir paul mccartney to ed sheeran, some of the world's biggest artists have cut their teeth gigging in small clubs around the country. but, according to campaign group uk music, this tradition could be under threat. they say more than a third of grassroot venues have closed in the past decade and are calling for legislation so developers will be forced to take into account noise from existing clubs and pubs before they build residential housing. in a minute we'll speak to music writerjohn robb, but first we asked these music lovers whether small spaces were still an essential part of the scene. small venues, i prefer. iwill be com pletely small venues, i prefer. iwill be completely honest. i prefer them is bigger venues, you are more into it and it is more personal. in the people who have come to see this particular band are dedicated to seeing them. it is quite a small

thing, you all connected together. in something like the arena it is so big and you don't have the space to connect. i feel like there is a sense of community at gigs and the bigger it gets, the more vast and anonymous it is. young kids going to these gigs are not going to be able to afford £50 for the larger venues, they need these venues. these are they need these venues. these are the venues that help them break out into play in, like, the bigger places i could poll arena.” into play in, like, the bigger places i could poll arena. i think it is important for artists to do live music, just because they get to meet people in person rather than listening to them online or whatever. it is good to see somebody in person rather than hearing them live. music writer and patron of the music venue trustjohn robb joins us now. are you concerned about venues having to be closed down?” are you concerned about venues having to be closed down? i think it isa having to be closed down? i think it is a really important cultural part of ourfabric, is a really important cultural part of our fabric, especially in the uk, which is world famous. it is one of the things, you go to any country in the things, you go to any country in the world, i travel lots, it is what

people talk about. even on that level, financial business levels, even apart from that, it is the feelgood factor in this country. and also, many times, you would have done this, so many times during your career. you go to a small venue, you hear a career. you go to a small venue, you heara band, and career. you go to a small venue, you hear a band, and you think, they are quite good. a few years down the line you see them playing to a much bigger audience because that is so ingrained in how the music industry works, isn't it? it is where people learn how to be bands. people do not just talk about guitar bands, all styles of music, all types of social interaction. loads of basic things. the ban is headlining glastonbury in ten yea rs the ban is headlining glastonbury in ten years time, it is one of the world's must famous festivals, tonight they are probably going to play their local gig in some little town in the uk. it is an important patchwork of venues that create these bans. they create the space for these bans to exist in. it is not just the ones for these bans to exist in. it is

notjust the ones to become world—famous, notjust the ones to become world —famous, it is notjust the ones to become world—famous, it is the ones in the middle level as well. there are more bands than ever to play somewhere. it is this question about what towns and city centres are for. now not just for flats. it is about four why people are living there for different reasons. nobody is against flats being there, but we need to find a way to coexist and make it work. this legislation will make that happen. we have lots of big names backing it, sir paul mccartney, brian eno, nick mason, all calling for a change in the law to protect the venues. have you seen venues to protect the venues. have you seen venues having to be closed down? yeah, there has been a raft of them across the uk. at the moment there are about three venues in bristol with a lot of problems with the developers and it is an ongoing fight. hopefully these venues will come through in the end. what happens sometimes is, there is a venue, and perhaps buildings, rounded, and then perhaps that is where the issue starts. yes, it becomes isolated. that was the issue prolonged time. it was just a venue on its own fighting developers. the great thing about the trust is that

itjoins all these venues together across the country. they all know what the problem side how to fight them. and how they have a right to be there as well. i think a lot of people felt bad about it, guilty about being a venue. but they are pa rt about being a venue. but they are part and parcel of the fabric of the british way of life. i suppose you could make the argument, couldn't you, that much more music is now about what you do online, posting clips and things like that, and in some ways the industry has moved on. has that argument being made to you? it is part and parcel but it is not the whole thing. if you think the only way of making music is sitting around in your posh city centre flat, making music and putting it online. .. flat, making music and putting it online... with flat, making music and putting it online. .. with respect, flat, making music and putting it online... with respect, you don't have to be posh. well, we always called posh flats. because who else can called posh flats. because who else ca n afford called posh flats. because who else can afford them? certainly not anybody that i know in the music industry. so if you think they are sitting on the couch and that is the only way you can make music, or be creative, it is not... you know, you have to interact with other people. as human beings. in a flashy kind of way, not just

as human beings. in a flashy kind of way, notjust in a digital kind of way. nobody is against the internet, thatis way. nobody is against the internet, that is part and parcel of it. it has been an important part of this campaign and it is important and how these venues run and get their information out. but it is not the only way of creating and it is not the only media that is left. tv is not the only media, you still need room for people to plug in and play with other people. thank you to coming in and talking to this, i know you aren't feeling well either. we will be talking about this more later. let us know, if you have a favourite venue that you particularly love, let us know and we'll talk about those later on as well. now it is time to get the news, travel and weather where you are. good morning from bbc london news, i'm katharine carpenter. as we've been hearing passengers on south western railway could face delays this morning because of industrial action. it's the second of three planned strikes this week in a dispute with the rmt union over the role of guards. the company says it hopes to run about 70% of services. but passengers travelling on the network, including out

of waterloo station, are likely to face delays or disruption. the number of acid attacks in london has gone up by 65% over the past two years according to the latest figures from the met but fewer suspects are being charged. the figures obtained by conservatives on the london assembly show that there were a total of a29 offences by the end of october 2017, up from 260 in 2015. newham had the most incidents. latest figures from the metropolitan police data show that acid attacks in london are up 65% but fewer suspects are being charged. the figures obtained by conservatives on the london assembly show that there were a total of a29 offences by the end of october 2017, up from 260 in 2015. newham is the worst borough for attacks with 289 since 2015. an internet appeal for the family of vijay patel, murdered outside a shop in mill hill has raised more than £10,000 in a day. he was killed on saturday in a row over cigarette papers. the appeal, started by mill hill synagogue which is close to the murder scene, had originally set a target of £1,000. a 16—year—old youth is due to appear in court today. moving onto the trains now, and that strike on south western railway

means they are running a reduced timetable. on the roads this is stockwell road — it's closed between brixton and stockwell. it's been closed since around 1am. a man in his 30s is in hospital after being shot. in staples corner, waterloo road, to the south of the north circular is closed following the large industrial fire yesterday and finally in westminster horseferry road is closed for repairs to a gas leak. there's no access from parliament square to whitehall because of the works there. let's have a check on the weather now with kate kinsella. good morning. it is perhaps not feeling as cold this morning as yesterday, but it is still rather damp and it is still rather cloudy. it will stay mostly cloudy as well and that is all because of this cold front. it has been moving across very gradually overnight and will continue to do so during the day. it's taking its time. it may take most of the morning, at least, for this cloud to begin to thin and maybe break. you could still get some rain

first being, first thing, hoping we could get some brighter weather. maximum temperatures getting up to 9 or 10 celsius. overnight tonight it could move further back and become cloudy again. we could get one or two clearer spells further west, meaning mist and fog developing. spots of light rain and drizzle. temperatures between four degrees and five celsius. a murky start morning. the mist and fog might take its time to lift, but when it does, it will lift into low cloud. another rather grey day. temperatures up to eight celsius on thursday. as we go through thursday evening of thursday night temperatures dropping again. mist and fog likely to develop. another murky morning for friday, hanging onto these cold temperatures into the weekend. that is all for now. i'll be back with another date in half an hour. until then, there is more on the website. word with the

hello — this is breakfast, with louise minchin and dan walker. huge mudslides and flooding hit california — 13 people have died. police say parts of the state resemble a world war one battlefield and the death toll is expected to go higher. trees were just coming down. we ran through the house. then the boulders just busted through our house. good morning — it's wednesday 10 january. also this morning — a new army recruitment campaign is criticised as too politcally correct. i was really worried about whether i would be accepted but in days, i was more than confident about how i was. the efforts are meant to reassure people worried about their sexuality

or gender or religion. the five pence charge on plastic bags could be extended to small shops and businesses in england which are currently exempt. sainsbury‘s, the latest retailer with christmas results out. it has lost a bit of market share to its rivals. i will be speaking to the boss. in sport, it's not out of sight for bristol city. manchester city needed added time to beat them — with the second leg of the league cup semi—finals yet to come. and he was once predicted to be the next lewis hamilton until he lost both legs in a racing accident — but now billy monger‘s back behind the wheel. and carol has the weather for us. good morning. a band of rain moving from the west to the east of the uk. some sunshine. when the fog lifts from northern ireland, parts of south

wales and south—west england. more details later on. good morning, first our main story. at least 12 people have died in mudslides and floods in southern california. -- 13. witnesses have described watching huge boulders bouncing down hillsides. our north america correspondent, james cook reports from los angeles. the rains came suddenly, just before dawn. torrential and terrifying. they coursed over the slick, scorched earth, gathering speed until mud was roaring down to the sea like an express train. the deluge smashed into the very homes which had just survived california's biggest recorded wildfire. the result: utter devastation. we had a very difficult time assessing the area and responding to many of those areas to assist those people. the only words i can really think of to describe what it looked like, was it looked like a world war i battlefield. the communities hardest hit were montecito and carpentaria, on the pacific coast

north of los angeles. these are some of the most exclusive neighbourhoods in the united states. home to stars like oprah winfrey and the actor rob lowe. but no amount of money could stop this torrent. the mud roared down here with terrifying speed, sweeping everything in its path. the firefighters won't let us go up there any further, they say the situation could change in the blink of an eye and as you can see, this is how dangerous it is. rescue workers are still scouring scores of damaged and demolished homes, searching for survivors. police say the number of dead here is certain to rise. james cook, bbc news in southern california. the american talk—show host ellen

degeneres sent this. that is 101 freeway in her neighbourhood. oprah winfrey also lives a few miles away in santa barbara. this is a video that she has posted. mud soaked backyard. this is a video. helicopters making rescues in the area. see how deep the mud is. 13 lives lost. and the model gigi hadid. this is the same picture we saw from ellen. please keep their families and santa barbara in your fulsome predators. the army is launching a new recruitment campaign which emphasises the "emotional and physical support"

given to soldiers. a series of radio, television and online adverts addresses concerns potential recruits might have about issues such as their sexuality or religion. there's been criticism from some former officers, who've accused the army of bowing to political correctness and going soft. andy moore reports. the new ads pose a series of questions. growing up, i had my heart set on the army. another reassures would—be recruits that religious faith will be respected. the army embraces that you come from a different faith. even on exercise, there is always a quiet moment to go into a cabin and just sort of find a little corner and do your prayers there. recruiting for the army is a constant battle. every year, for seven years now, more soldiers have left the army than signed up. there is a lot of internal debate about how best it should be done. i love the idea of the army... the army says its belonging

campaign has already sparked a significant surge in interest, but others say that this new series of ads panders to to political correctness and the so—called "snowflake generation". last month, the new defence secretary, gavin williamson, halted plans to ditch the army's be the best slogan which has been used for decades. an internal report stated it was datist, elitist and noninclusive. this new campaign does include the slogan, but it is not given the prominence it once had. andy moore, bbc news. new measures to clamp down on plastic waste are to be announced by the government. it's part of a 25—year plan on the environment. we're joined from westminster by our political correspondent ben wright. ben, what can we expect? the prime minister will be making a speech about this tomorrow, along with michael gove.

they are going to be tackling disposable pig waste. they will be extending the 5p charge which has existed. this is about extending it in england. the moment, if you shop ona in england. the moment, if you shop on a bigger store, in england. the moment, if you shop on a biggerstore, one in england. the moment, if you shop on a bigger store, one that employs more than 250 people, you will be charged 5p for a use back. the use of these bags is absolutely plummeted since while raising cash to charities at the same time. a small government intervention which has made a massive difference in the government are going to be consulting on extending that tall shops. corner stores convenience shops. corner stores convenience shops in the much smaller shops on high streets. it's highly likely

this will be extended because as i said, it is made a massive difference. there are currently some exemptions. if you go to a pet shop and buy goldfish, a plastic bag is free. a match she might feel to still get your goldfish after this has been extended. thousands of tourists have been left stranded after heavy snow in the alps cut off towns and villages across switzerland, france and italy. visitors are being airlifted out of zermatt, one of switzerland's most popular ski resorts, where around 13,000 people are stuck. a british skier, john bromell, from lincolnshire is still missing in france after bad weather hampered rescue efforts. mr bromell‘s friends say he's a very experienced skier and hope he's managed to take shelter. passengers on thameslink, southern and great northern services have suffered the worst disruption of any rail franchise according to a highly critical report. the government's spending watchdog, the national audit office, says the country's largest rail

operator has failed to provide value for money. it says industrial action has been a majorfactorfor delays but the department for transport has also made decisions which "have negatively impacted on passengers". the government has admitted the disruption has been unacceptable and has called on the rmt union to end what it calls needless strike action. a 16—year—old boy will appear in court today with the murder of a shop assistant in north london. vijay patel was attacked in a row over the sale of cigarette papers outside his shop in mill hill on saturday night. he later died in hospital. the search for malaysia airlines flight mh370 will resume today, nearly a year after efforts to locate the plane were officially suspended. the search for the aircraft, which went missing with 239 people on board in march 201a, was the largest in aviation history. it will now be resumed by a an american company using unmanned submarines. we saw sneak preview of this. snow

in the sahara desert. it is very rare. these are the first pictures we've got. rarely enough water for any kind of presentation. the first time in a0 years they have seen snowball. it didn't last very long. it's all melted, soon after these pictures were taken. it is 7:10 a.m.. the british army's slogan of "be the best" has traditionally seemed to emphasise the physical toughness of its recruits but now a new advertising campaign is trying to highlight "the emotional and physical support" given to soldiers. it's sparked criticism

from some former officers, who've accused the army of bowing to political correctness and going soft. in a moment, we'll speak to colonel richard kemp, the former commander of uk troops in afghanistan. but first, let's take a look at one of the adverts. growing up, i really had my heart set onjoining the growing up, i really had my heart set on joining the army. my brother was in afghanistan. hearing his experiences, that's when i knew i wa nted experiences, that's when i knew i wanted tojoin experiences, that's when i knew i wanted to join as a medic. experiences, that's when i knew i wanted tojoin as a medic. i was really worried about whether i would be accepted but within days, i was more than confident about being who i was. i'm more than confident about being who iwas. i'm not more than confident about being who i was. i'm not afraid to talk about having a boyfriend. i thought i'd have to hide it. but once you've done it, you think why they make such a big thing of it for so long? colonel richard kemp, what you think

the advertisements? the problem with them, i don't subscribe to the view that the british army is going soft. it's still the finest on in the world. i would still encourage an urge everybody who's interested to join the army which is what it is trying to do, unfortunately, i think it is on the wrong lines, that is my view, which is what it clearly is doing is appealing, try to appeal to a series of minorities who may or may not be interested injoining a series of minorities who may or may not be interested in joining the forces. by doing that, it's almost neglecting the main group of people who are interested injoining in the main group aren't worried so much about whether they are going to be listened to all those emotional issues, what they are more worried about is how they are going to face combat and not only that, they will be attracted by images of combat

because that is why people join the armed forces. in a way, by doing this, they are missing out on the vast majority of people who want to join. it will not in my opinion solve the recruiting crisis the army faces. they have said they are seeing an increase because of this kind of thing. i don't know about that. we hear all sorts of things like that. we will see when the figures come out. i think what the army needs to do in order to deal with this recruiting problem is not specifically appeal to minorities. the more people from all parts of societyjoin the more people from all parts of society join the better the more people from all parts of societyjoin the better but it's even more important than that to fill the army up with people who wa nt to fill the army up with people who want to fight and want to be soldiers. this, i don't think we will do that. what they should be addressing problems like the really horrific recruiting organisations which exist which has been contracted out and is almost impenetrable. i get involved myself by people saying they want to join

and they can't get through the system, how do they do it? it's not because of their shortcomings or concerns, it's because of the horrific bureaucracy that needs to be addressed. they should be looking andi be addressed. they should be looking and i know they are, they should be looking at retention. retaining soldiers is important as well. if you are selling soldiers out to legal enquiries and witch—hunts which we are very much seeing as doing in the last few years, that deters not only people but deters people who wanted to stay in. similarly —— similarly undermining conditions and services, their pay and allowances. those are issues that do need to be addressed.” and allowances. those are issues that do need to be addressed. i want to go back to what you said about people being attracted to those images. could be both the case, couldn't it? people being targeted are also attracted by those images? will it increase recruits?” are also attracted by those images? will it increase recruits? i think it will marginally increase, in my

opinion, but this also reflects, i think, the fact that the army, like the rest of government, is being forced down a path of political correctness. what is most important is the army recruits and is full of soldiers. it is of secondary importance that they reflect the composition of society. people a lwa ys composition of society. people always say, particularly people serving, and civil servants, the army must reflect the composition of society. but is not essential to combat effectiveness. ideally it would do but it's more important we recruit a full army, and i think, you got limited in our time and budget to put adverts out accommodation is the one area, i believe, that attracts most people which is military combat. you always find when there is a war going on, those are the major motivators of people who want to join the army. ra rely people who want to join the army. rarely has real recruiting problems when there is high—profile combat going on. now there isn't and we do

need to show people, all those people and there is no shortage of people and there is no shortage of people who are wanting to join the army, not the number of recruits, it is the inability and long—term inability, it was happening when i was serving, long—term inability to recruit the right number of people that are required. a very interesting debate. let us know what you think. let's look at the papers. meghan markle is everywhere, after visiting a radio station in brixton yesterday with her husband to be, prince harry. the main story on the daily express his pension crisis the millions. many retirees struggling to live on just £7,000 a year. the front page of the mail, they are talking about meghan—mania as well. and this is how they are writing about the reshuffle, this is the language they used. "massacre of the middle—aged men". theresa may promoted a string

of female and ethnic minority mps yesterday to make her government look more like the country it serves. a quick look at the telegraph, you haven't done that one, have you? the front page again. meghan markle. and fears about angela merkel and brexit deal. angela merkel and brexit deal. angela merkel, the german chancellor, is supposedly against a plan for managed either urgent from the eu. the front page of the mirror again. meghan—mania. lady lucan, the final tragedy. she killed herself after wrongly self diagnosing parkinson's disease. this is a result of an inquest yesterday. you know the meghan markle thing, it has been everywhere, they were saying that the top she was sold out insta ntly a nd that the top she was sold out instantly and it was a marks & spencer top, but the other marks & spencer top, but the other marks & spencer thing to mention, how much would you spend on one slice of cauliflower which is marketed as cauliflower which is marketed as cauliflower steak? what would be a decent price? 35p. well, you can get

a cauliflower to about 65p. so one slice but you are probably of a pain. well, there is a £2 50 -- to found —— £2.50 slice of cauliflower stea k. found —— £2.50 slice of cauliflower steak. you mentioned plastic. we are talking about that, the prime minister is talking about it. and we talked about storm elena over the weekend, here are some of the attacks. all this plastic washed up ona attacks. all this plastic washed up on a beach in bude, cornwall. it is after storm elena wrought chaos to much of the country. and you can see the impact on some of our beaches from that storm. speaking of storm elena, let's find out what is happening on this wednesday morning with the weather. good morning. we have a band of rain extending from northern scotland through the central parts of the uk down towards the south—east and as that clears away it will be brighter for most. you can see the journey at

has taken through the course of the night, moving from the west towards the east. a fairly narrow band, most of its light, but some of it has been and will be heavy. the other thing to watch out for this morning as fog. here is our rain at eight o'clock across the country. moving across eastern parts of scotland. behind it, it will start to brighten up behind it, it will start to brighten up slowly. the same across northern england, extending through the midlands, through east anglia, heading towards the south—east with this band of rain continuing to edge steadily over to the east. it will clear the east coast of england much later in the day. behind it we are looking at brighter skies coming through. currently there is patchy fog across parts of south—west england and south wales. this will lift quite readily and although there is a legacy of cloud at the moment, but that will start to break up moment, but that will start to break up and we will see sunshine. patchy fog in northern ireland. that will be quite dense and slower to lift. if you are stuck under that fog the temperature will be considered really lower, not just temperature will be considered really lower, notjust now that is

the go through the day. speaking of such things, there goes the rain. that will hang around norfolk and suffolk and lincolnshire, up towards yorkshire through the day, certainly around north—east scotland and the northern isles. you can see how nicely brightens up, with temperatures up to nine or 10 degrees in the south, and fives or sixs in the north. in the sunshine it will still feel pleasant. through the evening and overnight will see that rain going back in at times across eastern parts of england. we will also see the fog reforming across northern ireland through parts of wales, the midlands, down into southern counties. so through this coming at the fog will be more widespread than the night that has just gone. —— coming night. there will be patchy frost as well, so bear that in will be patchy frost as well, so bearthat in mind will be patchy frost as well, so bear that in mind if you are going through the night or the first thing tomorrow morning. that extends into the rest of the week as well. as we go into thursday the fog will be slow to lift so there will be lots of cloud around. some of that will lift into low cloud and some of it might not clear at all. where does

clear, it will be in the north or the west, and we soon —— we should see some sunshine. a pleasant but cool day, temperatures down slightly. like today, if you are underneath an area hanging onto that fog, temperatures will barely break freezing. friday, patchy fog, then a lot of dry weather and one or two showers around. 5—9 degrees in the showers. this nexus and is waiting in the winds and will bring in wet and windy weather. a weather front moving from the west towards the east, the timing on it could well change. it may well be slower than these charts are actually showing. if you are doing something outdoors, keepin if you are doing something outdoors, keep in touch with the weather forecast. these are the east you are, the drier it is likely to be. it is results season faults of the retailers. steph has got sainsbury is results this morning. —— sainsbury is. we found out that there are results for the crucial

christmas period, the 15 weeks to the end of christmas up to the sixth of january, they were up the end of christmas up to the sixth ofjanuary, they were up 1%. the end of christmas up to the sixth of january, they were up 1%. that doesn't sound like much but when you break it down it is interesting. this is for the whole business. what you need to remember about sainsbury‘s is that they also own argos. and there are 15 that also have habitat shops. so break it down to general merchandise, clothing and groceries, general merchandise, sales are down 1.a%. like they have been saying about many of the retailers, the ones that are sorely —— solely selling at general merchandise are struggling. looking ata merchandise are struggling. looking at a clothing side of the business it is up about 1%. the grocery side is where it has done well. as i said about morrison's as well, their sales were up over the grocery side of the business, up over 2%. that might not sound like much but to be honest, the retailers, it is still very competitive, so they are grateful to any kind of growth at the moment. what is interesting is

that they have lost some market share and in fact all of the big supermarkets have lost some market share. and lidl results have come out this morning and they have seen a whopping increase in their sales. their sales are up the 16th cent. now, lidl is still much smaller than sainsbury‘s. so sainsbury‘s has about 16.a% of the market whereas lidl grammy has 5%. so that is why? yeah. what is interesting is how quickly our lee and lidl are growing. there is an extra million households which aldi and lidl managed to get this you can pay to last christmas. later on we will be speaking to the boss of sainsbury‘s about this, about a strategy, we will probably ask them about plastics as well. good questions. thank you to joining plastics as well. good questions. thank you tojoining up plastics as well. good questions. thank you to joining up the dots. now, this morning we have had a brilliant reaction to the film we are about to show you. this time last year billy monger was tipped by many to be the next lewis hamilton. 17, star of f1 racing, but after an

horrific accident in april, he had both his lower leg is outdated. his recovery and his determination have astounded doctors, and this week billy will be driving in front of crowds for the first time since his accident. anybody expecting him to ta ke accident. anybody expecting him to take in slowly will be in for a shock, really. ‘billy whizz‘, a nickname he was determined to keep. it's nine months since billy monger had both lower legs amputated after a car crash. this is a final practice before driving with a stunt team at birmingham's nec. the aim is to put on a good show. we've got a great team, a great bunch of lads doing a show, i am just hoping everything goes smoothly and we have a good time and do ourselves proud. dunnington park, last april. when billy's formula 1 car hit a stationary vehicle. commentator: that is horrendous! all i wanted to do was to get through it and be alive. there was a slight moment, when i thought i wouldn't drive again.

it hasn't changed the dream. the dream stays the same, i want to be an f1 driver. you've got your prosthetics and you're still able to control the car and the pedals. many people would find that really extraordinary. when you control the pedal normally you do it through your ankle, that is how you control your input to the pedals. because i don't have ankles, the way i control it is through my leg like this. rather than going like that, it'sjust a push motion instead, to control the car. terry grant has been training billy ahead of the international event. he's one of the world's top stunt drivers. drive out, drive out! billy's a very special lad, for sure. regardless of his injuries.

the moment you are rehearsing on an airfield there is going to be concrete pillars were the cones are. the level of control he has now, for prosthetic legs, it is phenomenal. although billy can use the accelerator, his car has been modified so that this lever controls the brake. he has been backed by mission motorsport, a charity which typically helps wounded servicemen and women driving, often in specially adapted cars. the freedom of mobility is a phenomenal thing. if that's taken away from you as an adult, it has a dramatic effect on your life, on your personal freedoms, and also, i think, on your sense of self and your independence. and to be able to give that back to somebody is an extraordinary thing to be able to do. what did the family think about you getting behind the wheel? my mum was very nervous! but if i don't do it what else am i going to do with my life? i need to make my life

into something positive. billy monger, back in the driving seat. i love that young man. he is an inspiration. i do feel inspired by watching him. thank you for all your comments. so many people ask to see that again after the past hour. it will be available on our social media sites as well. in a couple of minutes we will have the headlines and the sport. right now, let's get the news, travel and weather wherever you are watching us. good morning from bbc london news, i'm katharine carpenter. as we've been hearing passengers on south western railway could face delays this morning because of industrial action. it's the second of three planned strikes this week in a dispute with the rmt union over the role of guards. the company says it hopes to run about 70% of services. but passengers travelling on the network, including out of waterloo station, are likely

to face delays or disruption. the number of acid attacks in london has gone up by 65% over the past two years according to the latest figures from the met but fewer suspects are being charged. the figures obtained by conservatives on the london assembly show that there were a total of a29 offences by the end of october 2017, up from 260 in 2015. newham had the most incidents. latest figures from the metropolitan police data show that acid attacks in london are up 65% but fewer suspects are being charged. musicians will be protesting outside parliament later urging the government to do more to protect grassroots music venues government to do more to protect grassroots music venues at risk due to nearby developments. many of london's face —— most famous venues such as ministry of sound have previously been threatened with closure. campaigners say planning laws need to change. we have a good service on the tube lines this morning. moving onto the trains now, and that strike on south western railway means they are running a reduced timetable.

on the roads this is stockwell road — it's closed between brixton and stockwell. it's been closed since around 1am. a man in his 30s is in hospital after being shot. in staples corner, waterloo road, to the south of the north circular is closed following the large industrial fire yesterday and finally in westminster horseferry road is closed for repairs to a gas leak. there's no access from parliament square to whitehall because of the works there. let's have a check on the weather now with kate kinsella. good morning. it is perhaps not feeling as cold this morning as yesterday, but it is still rather damp and it is still rather cloudy. it will stay mostly cloudy as well and that is all because of this cold front. it has been moving across very gradually overnight and will continue to do so during the day. it's taking its time. it may take most of the morning, at least, for this cloud to begin to thin and maybe break. you could still get some rain first being, first thing, hoping we could get some brighter weather. maximum temperatures getting up to 9 or 10 celsius. overnight tonight it

could move further back and become cloudy again. we could get one or two clearer spells further west, meaning mist and fog developing. spots of light rain and drizzle. temperatures between four degrees and five celsius. a murky start morning. the mist and fog might take its time to lift, but when it does, it will lift into low cloud. another rather grey day. temperatures up to eight celsius on thursday. as we go through thursday evening of thursday night temperatures dropping again. mist and fog likely to develop. another murky morning for friday, hanging onto these cold temperatures into the weekend. that's all for now. i'll be back with another update in half an hour. until then, there is more on the website. hello, this is breakfast

with dan walker and louise minchin. here's a summary of this morning's main stories from bbc news. at least 13 people have died in flash floods and mudslides in southern california. witnesses say torrents raged through the streets, washing away cars and telephone poles. among those saved was a 1a—year—old girl who'd been trapped for hours in the ruins of her house. police say there are still people missing and they expect the number of dead to rise. earlier we spoke to benjamin hyatt who was forced to evacuate his home with his family. ouryard is our yard is gone, there is no yard. there are trees, we don't know where they came from. if they had hit the bedroom, they would have taken up a whole wing where we sleep. all the

ca rs whole wing where we sleep. all the cars that were on the street ended up cars that were on the street ended up on the 101 freeway which is the main artery to los angeles. the army is launching a new recruitment campaign which emphasises the "emotional and physical support" given to soldiers. a series of radio, television and online adverts addresses concerns potential recruits might have about issues such as their sexuality or religion. there's been criticism from some former officers, who've accused the army of bowing to political correctness and going soft. but the ministery of defence says its "belonging campaign" has already sparked significant interest from people wanting to join up. new measures to clamp down on plastic waste are to be announced by the government. they include an extension of the 5 pence charge on plastic bags to include all shops in england. retailers with fewer than 250 staff are currently exempted from the levy. the idea is part of a 25—year plan to improve the environment. all retailers in scotland and wales are already required to charge for plastic bags. thousands of tourists have been left stranded after heavy snow

in the alps cut off towns and villages across switzerland, france and italy. visitors are being airlifted out of zermatt, one of switzerland's most popular ski resorts, where around 13,000 people are stuck. a british skier — john bromell — from lincolnshire is still missing in france after bad weather hampered rescue efforts. mr bromell‘s friends say he's a very experienced skier and hope he's managed to take shelter. a 16—year—old boy will appear in court today charged with the murder of a shop assistant in north london. the passengers on thameslink, southern and great northern services services have suffered the worst disruption of any rail franchise according to a highly critical report. the government's spending watchdog, the national audit office, says the country's largest rail operator has failed to provide value for money. it says industrial action has been a majorfactorfor delays and the government has admitted the disruption has been unacceptable and has called on the rmt union to end what it calls

needless strike action. a 16—year—old boy will appear in court today charged with the murder of a shop assistant in north london. vijay patel was attacked in a row over the sale of cigarette papers outside his shop in mill hill on saturday night. he later died in hospital. the search for malaysia airlines flight mh370 will resume today, nearly a year after efforts to locate the plane were officially suspended. the search for the aircraft, which went missing with 239 people on board in march 201a, was the largest in aviation history. it will now be resumed by an american company using unmanned submarines to search a small section of the indian ocean where it's thought the remains of the plane lie. thank you to so many of you who are getting in contact. what are the stories which is about the closure of small music venues. more than a third have closed in the past decade. i will read a couple of these. in watford, still a great music venue. the think—tank in

newcastle. star and in manchester. sebastian says we used to go to so many small buyers around swansea. loved watching music there. and big comfy books in coventry, so much more than a bookshop. so many are giving their favourite venues. that campaign sets of today, doesn't it? who will talk about it a bit more later. cat is here with the sport. she has not got the breakfast course. after quite a dodgy date on me healthwise on monday. i have had to stop —— swap sides and sit next to stop —— swap sides and sit next to louise. i'm talking about an amazing performance by bristol city. manchester did win in the end because they always somehow seem to find a way through. its bristol city of snatched the headlines because they were less than two minutes away from going into the leg of their league cup semi—final.

bristol city were less than two minutes away from going into the second leg of their league cup semi—final with manchester city on level terms. the championship side have had a great cup run and their positive approach paid off at the etihad — they took the lead thanks to a bobby reid penalty just before half time. manchester city had named a strong side and kevin de bruyne, captain on the night, drew them level in the second half. but sergio aguero is a pretty good sub to bring on when you need a goal and his injury time winner means manchester city take a 2—1 lead into the second leg at ashton gate. the football association is to implement a number of changes to make the national governing body truly representative of the players it represents. it's been a difficult 12 months for the fa. the chelsea ladies striker eni aluko said she felt victimised for reporting racial discrimination by former england manager mark sampson. the fa has pledged to interview at least one candidate from black and minority ethnic groups forfuture roles in the england set—up. i think the message it sends out is the fa is for all. what it will say is

the opportunities to have a career beyond playing in the fa and the wider football workforce is something that is both desirable and something the fa is serious about promoting. the former newcastle striker peter beardsley will take a "period of leave" whilst the club investigates allegations of racism and bullying made against him. beardsley is now the club's under—23s coach, but multiple complaints have been lodged against him, including one from 22—year old winger yasin ben el—mhanni. beardsley has released a statement and says he categorically denies the allegations. with less than a month until the six nations begins, there's been a blow for england, who'll be without propjoe marler for their opening two games. marler was part of the british and irish lions squad that drew the series in new zealand last year, but he's been given a six—week ban for a dangerous challenge he made for his club harlequins. he'll miss england's matches against italy and wales. paula jacklin, the oldest player in this year's bdo darts championship, has called for a fairer distribution of prize

money at the tournament. jacklin is 60 years old and after losing her first round match she said the women's top prize of £12,000 is unfair compared to the men's winner, who gets £100,000. the bdo are yet to comment. britain's defending dakar rally champion sam sunderland has crashed out of this year's race sunderland started day four with the overall lead but hit a hole, injuring his back in a fall. he carried on for another five kilometers but eventually had to be airlifted away. sunderland was taken to peru's capital lima for tests. former chelsea and tottenham boss andre villas—boas a surprise entry in this year's competition also crashed out of the race. finally, the good news keeps coming for nottingham forest's erik lichaj. the defender scored twice in his side's incredible a—2 win over arsenal in sunday's fa cup third round and afterwards lichaj revealed his wife kathryn had promised the family could get a dog if he ever scored a hat—trick.

well, forest's players and fans put the pressure on her to let erik have his way after his weekend heroics. and last night the american revealed its paid off. and the name they chose for the new puppy, gunner. he doesn't seem bothered by all the fuss. there is going to look after him? probably erik's wife, which is why she was resisting. a very important question before you get a dog. if we take a look outdoors this morning it's looking pretty standard for this time of year. looks nice in glasgow. should we have a look at london? wait for it. a little bit lighter in westminster. you can see the grey skies. and faced with a cold and

dark, it is this tempting to stay inside the new results suggest a link between spending time outdoors in our mental well—being. we thought it might brighten your mood. a bit of blue sky, some trees, rolling fields. a new project which is scientifically proven for the first time and being outdoors and amongst trees. while we are talking about this, let's listen to a bit of bird song. dr andrea mechelli is the neuroscientist behind this research. we're also joined by anne selby from the wildlife trust for lancashire and paul brook who found birdwatching helped him with his depression. good morning. it is striking at the moment. it's dark until late in the morning, and early in the afternoon. how does this affect our mood? how

much difference being outside can make. intuitively, we know that being exposed trees and plants and birds is good for us but in turn now, the evidence available has not been high quality and the reason is often researchers asked people, when did you last visit the park and how did you last visit the park and how did you last visit the park and how did you feel when he went out? what we have done is a bit different. we've developed an app called urban mind which monitors people in their daily lives. the alp has people asking —— answering questions about their well—being, whether they can see trees or not. there is a strong link between exposure to nature and well—being. there are two aspects of the findings that are particularly interesting, i think. the findings that are particularly interesting, ithink. first the findings that are particularly interesting, i think. first of all, the effect lasts at least seven hours. a single exposure to trees

will make some feel better for up to seven hours. which is something perhaps we didn't know before. also, as you'd expect, not everyone responds to nature in the same way. some people seem benefit particularly from exposure to trees, plants, the sky and so on. in particular, we find those individuals at greater risk of developing mental health issues appear to be benefited from exposure to nature more. and this has important implications for considering how we want to deal with mental health issues as well. is find out what paul's experience was. how did birdwatching help you?” find it's really good to give you a different perspective. i spend a lot of my time at the desk. to get outside, the positive distraction. you can see birds, animals, being near water, being near you can see birds, animals, being nearwater, being neartrees. there

isa nearwater, being neartrees. there is a lot to see, a lot to distract your senses. and a lot to take you we re your senses. and a lot to take you were away from all the turmoil that is going on like a washing machine. it's definitely something i find useful. when you are in a situation like this, are you thinking about work? are you counting things around you? are you enjoying nature? i'm trying not to think about anything much. that is bent on cliffs on the east coast. i've been there for walks, enjoy the scenery. that is one of my favourite places to escape to on the east coast. being outdoors has all the benefits of daylight, fresh air, exercise but also different things to focus your attention on. and you get completely engrossed in the moment which is our mindfulness works. what's interesting about this research, its

unknowing as well. people are still feeling the benefits of some hours later. that is quite an extraordinaire thing to have found, isn't it? it's something perhaps intuitively we imagined that now we have the evidence. this evidence is something that we can use when it comes to influencing policy—making, for example, when it comes to thinking about what we tell our patients, about how they can keep healthy. so we should make good use of this information. it's fascinating talking to both of you. thank you very much indeed. i shall make sure i go outside today, we have seen the pictures of snow in the sahara desert. we had a bit of snow last week and it's been very cold this week. let's find out what is happening with our own weather. there is still in our forecast. what

we have is a band of rain moving across central areas. it will right not to most of us after we lose the fog. that will lift fairly readily. fog across northern ireland. as the rain continues. there will be available cloud that it will break off. this afternoon, some sunshine. stall is cloud in the north—east and the northern isles. in northern england, we will hang on to the cloud and some splashes of rain. the rearing towards north—west england. it should buy some choirs —— quite nicely. bits and pieces of cloutier and there. so sunny skies and light winds. in plymouth, quite nice. the

same from wales. the cloud and the fog from northern ireland. you are more than likely to have a bright afternoon rather than a sunny one. as we head through the evening and overnight. eventually pushing away. we will see further fog form. the tonight will be so widespread. especially across northern ireland. into the midlands and also southern england. it is going to be accompanied by frost and this will bea accompanied by frost and this will be a trend as we go through the following few nights. starting at eight tomorrow, fog lifting. some of lifting into low cloud. if you are stuck an erica dashed under an area with fog, the temperature will barely break pleasing that out towards the west, sunny skies. only

three degrees in glasgow. we start friday on a similar vein. fairly cloudy to start with wisdom patchy fog. it was slowly brighten up. and a weather front coming our way and that's going to be coming in through the course of the day heading eastwards. the timing of that weather front may well change. it could slow up, seeing a dry date the most areas but this is what we think at the moment. rain coming in across western scotland and northern ireland into south—west england. ahead of it, more cloud and brighter skies to the east. this is where we the lowest temperatures and a keen wind across the coastlines. you can see them. carroll, thank you very much indeed. dear me, have we done it again? we we re dear me, have we done it again? we were just chatting about what is coming up in the programme. carroll will be back in half an

hour. sainsbury‘s is the latest retailer to tell us how they did over christmas. steph is speaking to their chief executive about what's happening at the company. yes, it is always good to get the boss on to find out what is going on in there market. it's our second biggest supermarket chain and also owns argos. this morning it's said sales were up 1% in the 15 weeks to the beginning ofjanuary. the food side of the business is doing well but sales of general merchandise were down. did you have a good christmas? we think we had a very good christmas. our operational standards were good and we serve our customers well. we saw growth in our food business but also greyer market share in a challenging market in general merchandise and indeed in clothing. so allup, a merchandise and indeed in clothing. so all up, a good performance.“ you look at your sales, they are obviously up. looking at the market

share of the grocery side of the business you lost some market share. why was that? we continue to see changing patterns in grocery shopping. we saw growth in our convenience business, 7% growth, 8% online growth. that reflects the fa ct online growth. that reflects the fact that people are shopping less in larger, out—of—town superstores, they tend to shop online more. something like 30% of sainsbury‘s sales were a minor the christmas period, an incredible change last five or six years. we are about the our business to those changing customer needs and making sure we are doing everything we can to serve our customers, in our words, wherever and whenever they want. our customers, in our words, wherever and whenever they wa nt.“ the fact that you have lost market share worrying? it continues to be a challenging market but as you have pointed out, we saw growth in our grocery business, and that is actually an improvement on the performance of the previous quarter. so the trends are moving in the right direction. but it is a challenging market and we are clearly seeing pressure on household

incomes which reflects on some of the performance, not just incomes which reflects on some of the performance, notjust in our business but in the market more generally. that point about household income, we have spoken this year about how food prices have started going up. do you expect that to continue? as you have said, we see food price inflation as a result of the devaluation of the pound after the brexit vote. we have done everything we can to mitigate that but we cannot get away from the fact that food prices are going up. we are probably over the worst but it is difficult to predict the future. we live in uncertain times, as we can see all around us. i would make most of a hostage to fortune if i got too carried away but i think probably we are over the top of the peak. we should see food prices gradually, orfood price inflation, gradually, orfood price inflation, gradually reducing over the next 6— 12 months. lidl put their results out today, they are up 16%. that puts you in the shade a bit. their sales growth is largely driven by new space. again, it shows the

nature of the competitive market we operate in. so you think our results are operate in. so you think our results a re pretty operate in. so you think our results are pretty good, —— we think. we did see growth in the food business. we can't get away from the competitive pressure out there and we need to adapt our business to the changing customer needs. that is why we are investing a lot of money and convenience shops and indeed in growing our online business and moving argos shops into sainsbury‘s shops to make sure we can serve our customers whenever and wherever they want. do alvi and lidlwere customers whenever and wherever they want. do alvi and lidl were you? well, any condition is something which is a focus. the great news is that we continue to seek to be more competitive. pre— christmas we were selling amongst the lowest price turkeys in the market and we were selling vegetables at 35p. indeed, we have announced a reduction in prices on a number of key staples to be more competitive, and indeed in many cases to match the prices offered by the discounters. we will continue to do the things that sainsbury‘s is brilliant at, offering great customer service, offering great customer service, offering great customer service, offering great quality products, recognising that we need to be more

price competitive. on that point about price, is there something the supermarket will take the hit on, or will you be putting pressure on your suppliers to give the cheaper cost? it is important that we look to our own business to make ourselves as efficient as we can possibly be. also to work with our suppliers, look at every opportunity to reduce the cost in supply chains, while not impacting with the quality of what we sell. that is ourjob. it is important that we do everything we can with our suppliers. we work closely with our suppliers to make sure that we reduce costs in our business so we can offer great prices to our customers. could i also ask you about plastic waste? that is something we have spoken about a lot on the programme and it is also in the headlines, including from you. there has been criticism in the papers about the fact that you sell an organic coconut which is wrapped in plastic. it is a bit of a daft idea, what are you doing about that? i mean, we know that packaging and plastics in particular are a big

issue. we have known that for years. we have reduced the outer packaging in our business by something like 35% over the past five years. we are committed to reducing it by 50% over the next 5— 60 is. on the specific item i cannot actually respond directly because i read about it in the newspapers this morning, but i can assure you our last some questions of the teams as to why we need packaging plastic on something like coconut. did you think it was daft? i would agree with you and i will certainly offer question. it is important to remember that packaging does play a part in protecting products. it does play a part in making sure that we do not increase the food waste in our business. there is always a trade—off to be made in the packaging that we have put on our products. i will certainly be asking questions about why we wrap coconuts in plastic. good. you mentioned some of the targets you have had around plastics. what about future? what is the plan now? will you still be bringing it down? as i have said, we are committed to reducing the plastic waste in our business, the

packaging in our business, by 50%, over a 10—year period. quite a significant commitment. we are on the way to hitting that. something like a0% of the packaging that we have also uses recycling content or recycled content, but we are making many strides in the right direction, we must say, we must not lose sight of the fact that packaging plays a role in protecting the products and making sure that food keeps for longer in the home. it is a double—edged sword. we must ensure we don't do things which have an adverse effect on the quality of the products we sell or indeed a shelflife of the products we sell. mike, thank you for your time this morning. it is marcus cooper, the chief executive of sainsbury‘s. the advice, never wrap your coconuts.“ has a natural wrap already, doesn't it? there is something to that. wise words, steph. wise words for us all. thank you for all your comments. i am assuming people are getting in touch about the music venues and the threat to them being closed, and also this new advert for the army,

the emotional support that people joining the army are given. lots of people getting in touch. peter says if the army needs people with mental and physical toughness it needs people with mental and physical toughness, not people who are worried about acceptance. david says, having served for 22 years in the army i can honestly say i never came across anyone who joined based on images of combat. that is what one of our guests was saying earlier. somebody else, his name to peter as well, he said he joined the army having watched the falklands war as a teenager and that is what drew him to want tojoin war as a teenager and that is what drew him to want to join the army. great to see the army advert at last being inclusive. having a diverse workforce will make the army more operationally capable. thank you for getting in touch. now, look at these amazing pictures. a cheater showcasing its sprinting prowess. —— cheetah. an amazing animal, and those are amazing pictures. well, they were captured using a special camera and we have one in the studio.

the team put a slo—mo camera on a remote control car, which was able to run alongside the animals. you can see it here roaming our studio. we'll be finding out more about how the team behind big cats got up close and personal with some of the more elusive stars of the documentary just after 8.30. time now to get the news, travel and weather where you are. here it is down here. hold on. i will try not to be too george galloway about it. look at how that works! this camera, i think, galloway about it. look at how that works! this camera, ithink, can galloway about it. look at how that works! this camera, i think, can go faster than this. if you are a cheetah it could keep up with you. we will be talking more about this later. i think this was about idea. i'm retreating. yes, well, from the slightly weird position, here is the news can travel and weather wherever you are. good morning from bbc london news, i'm katharine carpenter. as we've been hearing passengers on south western railway could face delays this morning

because of industrial action. it's the second of three planned strikes this week in a dispute with the rmt union over the role of guards. the company says it hopes to run about 70% of services. but passengers travelling on the network, including out of waterloo station, are likely to face delays or disruption. the number of acid attacks in london has gone up by 65% over the past two years according to the latest figures from the met but fewer suspects are being charged. the figures obtained by conservatives on the london assembly show that there were a total of a29 offences by the end of october 2017, up from 260 in 2015. newham had the most incidents. latest figures from the metropolitan police data show that acid attacks in london are up 65% but fewer suspects are being charged. famous musicians will be protesting outside parliament later urging the government to do more to protect grassroots music venues government to do more to protect grassroots music venues at risk because of nearby developers. many of london's famous venues such as the ministry of sound have previously been threatened with closure. campaigners say that banning laws need to be changed.

moving onto the trains now, and that strike on south western railway means they are running a reduced timetable. on the roads this is stockwell road — it's closed between brixton and stockwell. it's been closed since around 1am. a man in his 30s is in hospital after being shot. in staples corner, waterloo road, to the south of the north circular is closed following the large industrial fire yesterday and finally in westminster horseferry road is closed for repairs to a gas leak. there's no access from parliament square to whitehall because of the works there. let's have a check on the weather now with kate kinsella. good morning. it is perhaps not feeling as cold this morning as yesterday, but it is still rather damp and it is still rather cloudy. it will stay mostly cloudy as well and that is all because of this cold front. it has been moving across very gradually overnight and will continue to do so during the day. it's taking its time.

it may take most of the morning, at least, for this cloud to begin to thin and maybe break. you could still get some rain first being, first thing, hoping we could get some brighter weather. maximum temperatures getting up to 9 or 10 celsius. overnight tonight it could move further back and become cloudy again. we could get one or two clearer spells further west, meaning mist and fog developing. spots of light rain and drizzle. temperatures between four degrees and five celsius. a murky start morning. the mist and fog might take its time to lift, but when it does, it will lift into low cloud. another rather grey day. temperatures up to eight celsius on thursday. as we go through thursday evening of thursday night temperatures dropping again. mist and fog likely to develop. another murky morning for friday, hanging onto these cold temperatures into the weekend. that's all for now.

i'll be back with another update in half an hour. until then, there is more on the website. hello, this is breakfast with dan walker and louise minchin. huge mudslides and flooding hit california. 13 people have died. police say parts of the state resemble a world war i battlefield and the death toll is expected to go higher. the trees were coming down. we ran into the house and the boulders busted through our house. good morning. it's wednesday, 10th january. also this morning, a new army recruitment campaign is criticised as too politically correct.

i was really worried about whether i'd be accepted, but within days i was more than confident about being who i was. the adverts are aimed at reassuring recruits worried about the reaction to their sexuality, religion or gender. a new drive to cut down on plastic waste — a five pence charge on bags could be extended to small shops in england. sainsbury‘s is the latest retailer with its christmas results out. sales were up just over 1% but it's lost a bit of market share to its rivals. in sport, it's not out of sight for bristol city. manchester city needed added time to beat the with the second leg of the league cup semi—finals yet to come. he was once predicted to be the next lewis hamilton until he lost both legs in a racing accident, but now billy monger back behind the wheel. and carol has the weather. good morning. there is some patchy

mist and fog around this morning which will lift readily for most, but slower to clear in northern ireland. we've got rain moving east, but as that clears away, brighter skies follow on behind with some of us shrieningy spells of sunshine. i'll have more in 15 minutes. thank you. we will see you later on. good morning, first our main story. at least 13 people have died in mudslides and floods in southern california. witnesses have described watching huge boulders bouncing down hillsides. our north america correspondent, james cook, reports from los angeles. the rains came suddenly just before dawn. torrential and terrifying. they coursed over the slick, scorched earth, gathering speed until mud was roaring down to the sea like an express train. the deluge smashed into the very homes which had just survived california's biggest recorded wildfire. the result — utter devastation. we had a very difficult time assessing the area and responding to many of those areas to assist those people. the only words i can really

think of to describe what it looked like, was it looked like a world war i battlefield. the communities hardest hit were montecito and carpentaria on the pacific coast north of los angeles. these are some of the most exclusive neighbourhoods in the united states. home to stars like oprah winfrey and the actor rob lowe. but no amount of money could stop this torrent. well, the mud roared down here with terrifying speed, sweeping everything in its path. the firefighters won't let us go up there any further, they say the situation could change in the blink of an eye and as you can see, this is how dangerous it is. rescue workers are still scouring scores of damaged and demolished homes, searching for survivors. police say the number of dead here is certain to rise. some really remarkable footage

coming through from america this morning. american talk show host ellen degeneres, who owns a home in one of the affected neighbourhoods, tweeted a picture of the scene there saying, "this is not a river. this is the 101 freeway in my neighbourhood right now. montecito needs your love and support. " oprah winfrey who lives a few miles away in santa barbara has shared several videos on instagram of a mud—soaked backyard and helicopters making rescues in the area. she wrote, "praying for our community again in santa barbara. see how deep the mud is in my backyard. helicopters rescuing my neighbours. looking for missing persons. 13 lives lost." the authorities say there maybe more. super model gigi hadid also tweeted, "my beautiful home town, just after getting through weeks of wild fire, has been hit by a major storm. that "river" is the 101 freeway.

please keep the families of santa barbara in your thoughts and prayers. " the army is launching a new recruitment campaign which emphasises the "emotional and physical support" given to soldiers. a series of radio, television and online adverts addresses concerns potential recruits might have about issues such as sexuality or religion. there's been criticism from some former officers, who've accused the army of bowing to political correctness and going soft. andy moore reports. the new ads pose a series of questions. growing up, i really had my heart set on joining the army. another reassures would—be recruits that religious faith will be respected. the army embraces the fact that you can come from a different faith. even on exercise, there's always a quiet moment to go into a cabin and just sort of find a little corner and do your prayers there. recruiting for the army is a constant battle. every year, for seven years now, more soldiers have left the army than signed up.

there's a lot of internal debate about how best it should be done. i love the idea of the army... the army says its belonging campaign has already sparked a significant surge in interest, but others say this new series of ads panders to to political correctness and the so—called "snowflake generation." last month, the new defence secretary, gavin williamson, they are trying to appeal to minorities who may or may not be interested injoining the minorities who may or may not be interested in joining the forces. minorities who may or may not be interested injoining the forces. by doing that, it is almost neglecting the grain group of people who are interested injoining. they are not worried about whether they will be listened or whether there is emotional issues what, they are worried about more is how they're going face combat. last month,

gavin williamson, halted plans to ditch the army's be the best slogan which has been used for decades. an internal report had claimed it was datist, elitist and non—inclusive. this new campaign does include the slogan, but it's not given the prominence it once had. new measures to clamp down on plastic waste are to be announced by the government. it's part of a 25—year plan on the environment. we're joined from westminster by our political correspondent ben wright. so, ben, tell us what the plan is. good morning, louise. well, the prime minister is going to make a speech about all of this tomorrow. a big speech setting out president government's plans for protecting the environment over the next quarter century. it was discussed at the cabinet yesterday where theresa may made it clear that she does want to really clamp down on what she called the use of disposable plastic and so we know now that there will bea and so we know now that there will be a consultation on extending the five pence charge that is applied to

single use plastic bags in england. the charge in england was introduced in 2015 after it was introduced in the rest of the uk actually. it made a massive difference. the use of single use plastic bags plummeted. it raised huge amounts of money that supermarkets have to give then to good causes and charities. it the charge has to be applied or used by businesses that currently employ more than 250 people. so it tends fob the bigger supermarkets. smaller convenience stores are exempt. and the consultation will look at how far the single use plastic bag charge should be extended. and we will see how far it goes. there are some exceptions. for instance, pet shops don't have to charge for the plastic bag that you can carry away a goldfish in. so will we still be able to have goldfish travelling for nothing after this consultation? we will see, but it's clear that the government are really impressed

about the impact that this policy has had and are looking to extend it. it has changed things. ben, thank you. thousands of tourists have been left stranded after heavy snow in the alps cut off towns and villages across switzerland, france and italy. visitors are being airlifted out of zermatt, one of switzerland's most popular ski resorts, where around 13,000 people are stuck. a british skier, john bromell, from lincolnshire is still missing in france after bad weather hampered rescue efforts. mr bromell‘s friends say he's a very experienced skier and hope he's managed to take shelter. passengers on thameslink, southern and great northern services have suffered the worst disruption of any rail franchise according to a highly critical report. the government's spending watchdog, the national audit office, says the country's largest rail operator has failed to provide value for money. the government admitted the disruption has been unacceptable and called on the rmt to cancel needless

strike action. a 16—year old boy will appear in court today charged with the murder of a shop assistant in north london. vijay patel was attacked in a row over the sale of cigarette papers outside his shop in mill hill on saturday night. he later died in hospital. steve bannon stepped down from the breitbart news steve bannon stepped down from the breitba rt news organisation steve bannon stepped down from the breitbart news organisation where he built his reputation. the move comes amid a row over remarks he reportedly made about the president's son. he described a meeting donald trump junior held president's son. he described a meeting donald trumpjunior held in new york with a russian lawyer during the 2016 presidential election campaign as treason he is. greater manchester police found a body in a garden after a woman told them she killed him and buried him. the woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is being held in police custody.

other snow in somewhere you wouldn't expect it. the sahara desert. these pictures were taken near the town of ain sefra on the edge of the sahara. snow is very rare in this part of the world even though the desert can be very cold at night. there's rarely enough water around for any kind of precipitation. it's only the third time in a0 years that they've seen snowfall. it didn't last long though, it all melted away soon after these pictures were taken. while many of us spent christmas with friends and family, eating too much and opening presents, polar explorer ben saunders was attempting to become the first person to cross antarctica alone. but 51 days in, ferocious weather conditions meant he was left without enough food and he was forced to abandon his attempt. breakfast'sjohn maguire has been taking a look back at his journey. in the long, brutalitial and all toop often tragic history of polar

exploration and endurance, skiing across antarctica and entirely alone remains an unachieved. despite the months and years of planning, the treacherous conditions of the south pole always provide the greatest obstacle. his friend henry, had died attempting the same thing a year before. ben had given himself 65 days to cross the frozen continent. skiing via the pole for more than 1,000 miles. we spoke to him on christmas day. it's been pretty hard. the weather has been unusually bad. there has been a lot of low cloud and fog and mist. four days later, ben reached the south pole. but ahead, lay more than 350 miles, a distance too dangerous to attempt considering his remaining food and supplies would only last two weeks. so more than 100 years

since other explorers went to the south pole, this challenge remains unsurmounted. and we can speak to ben now in his first tv interview since arriving back home on monday. hejoins us with his fiancee, pip, from their home in richmond. thank you for coming on and telling us what the last few days have been like. ben, you've had a few days to think about what happened and what you weren't able to do. how do you look back on that expedition now? yeah, good morning. it's quite surreal being back home in the comfort of my living room for sure. i think looking back i've got no regrets at all about calling it a day when i did. i thought actually i'd come home feeling more sad that i hadn't made it across, butjust happy to be back at the moment and happy to be back at the moment and happy with getting as far as i did

in some really tough conditions. pip, you must be over the moon to have him back safe. just talk us through that and how it was, you know, knowing he was out there, look at you, you look so pleased.“ know, knowing he was out there, look at you, you look so pleased. it was great that i could speak to him every day, it made it easier for me. i'm not sure if it made it easier for ben though. i think the really difficult bit was when he was trying to make the decision as to whether to make the decision as to whether to stop or not and that was quite emotional. when he made the call, it was a huge sigh of relief and really pleased to have him home. it's great to see the smiles on both your faces, because ben when you're there, i wonder how long that decision to stop actually takes. you have got food supplies, but as the journey is taking you longer and longer, the food supplies are running out, so how difficult the decision was that to say, do you know what, i can't go on any longer safely? you are absolutely right, there was

an equation going on the entire expedition, i have a finite amount of food and fuel so it was something that had been weighing on my mind for a while. the conditions were definitely worse than i was expecting for a large part of the journey so it was something that happened, the decision was made over several days, i had been weighing it up several days, i had been weighing it upfora several days, i had been weighing it up for a long time and have had nothing but support from friends and family and people. no regrets now. it's something which took a while to decide on for sure. remind us a little about why you chose to make this journey, little about why you chose to make thisjourney, in little about why you chose to make this journey, in many little about why you chose to make thisjourney, in many ways, down to a close friend of yours wasn't it? yes, exactly the same route, certainly the same route attempted bya certainly the same route attempted by a friend of mine called henry worsley two years ago, he passed away at the end of that expedition.

i felt after a while it might be a nice way to honour him, the inspiration and friendship he gave me. but that not only trying to finish the journey but supporting the same charity. i wonder what sort of comfort you are going through because you are speaking to him on the satellite phone every day, is pa rt the satellite phone every day, is part of you thinking i know what you're going through and why you are doing it and why you want to achieve it but the other part is thinking just come home? yeah, before he went, talking about, he is off on his expedition, off you go. when he's out there, it's madness. quite understand. but it's what he does. when i met him i knew it's what he does so i am just supporting him, i said carry on if you can but quite glad he came home. i hardly dare

ask, but will you plan to go again, have you had this conversation? at the moment no plans to go back. i have been telling everyone i am happy, i have been doing these big expeditions for 17 years, i have no desire to get back on a sledge harness and suffer like that again. but of course i said that this tent images ago, sorry, four years ago. difficult, at the moment i feel very content with going as far as i did and the achievements i've made in my career. you have been in antarctica, do you have a really dull family holiday planned this year to try to fill some time and do something about more normal? yeah, we are going somewhere next week, as long

as it's not a tent i will be happy. you have been to extraordinary places, give us a sense of what it's like, i imagine it is intensely beautiful? it is. it seems to be either horrendously tough or indescribably beautiful and there is little in between. enormous highs and lows. i feel enormously little in between. enormous highs and lows. ifeel enormously pleased to spend the time i have there. it's difficult to explain the scale and majesty of these places, antarctica is enormous, twice the size of pretty much. absolutely stunning. a lot of bad weather, a lot of days of flock and cloud where i could hardly see anything but there is something addictive about it. i am sure i will be back at some point but perhaps not with a sledge. thank you very

much for talking to us, glad to see you back safely, have a great holiday next week. that ties in with what we were talking about earlier about experiencing nature and the effect it has a new brain and your body and the fact we were seeing new research is saying once you are outside, you see some trees and birds and flowers it stays with you for seven hours. it can benefit you seven hours later. more on that later, but let's find out what the weather is like. this morning some mist and fog around, most of it will lift quite readily, slow to clear in northern ireland and for the bulk of us a brighter day than it was yesterday. more sunshine. first of all we have to get rid of the band of rain. it's been progressively coming from the west moving east, not particularly heavy, it will continue to journey

heading over towards the east coast of england and the north—east of scotla nd of england and the north—east of scotland through the rest of the morning. behind it there will be cloud and son coming through and it will feel pleasant in light winds with temperatures climbing up for some into double figures, especially in the south—western southern counties of england. this afternoon that's exactly what we have, sunshine in the south—west, temperatures up to ten in plymouth, nine in barnstable and the same for wales. when we lose the cloud and damp we are looking at highs of about eight in cardiff. for northern ireland there is fog at the moment which will be slow to left, a lot of it into low cloud some of us will see bright skies some of us pretty cold under the cloud. for scotland it is west are now essential areas seeing the sunshine, the rain still lingering also the north—east and northern isles. england brightening up northern isles. england brightening up as we come across georgia and lincolnshire we still have the re m na nts of

lincolnshire we still have the remnants of the rain and quite a bit of cloud around and southern counties to the midlands again brightening up buying the band of rain, many of seen sunny skies. all the dampness around from today's rain we will see fog forming once again, more widespread than just gone, especially across northern ireland, parts of wales, the midlands and southern england, frost around as well so hazards to consider and tomorrow morning the fog will be slow to left, like today some of us will not see it left at all, some into low cloud and if you are underneath that it will depressed temperatures to just above freezing. you can see for the cloud is, but now towards the west is where we expect cloud to break and the fog to lift and see some sunshine but no heatwave, only three degrees in glasgow. drive for most

of the uk, 12 showers dotted around here and there, breezy and then the next system comes in from the west bringing strengthening winds and also some rain. the progress from friday into saturday could change but this is what we guess could happen at the moment. breezy depending where you are, coasts progress slower might find you got a drier day in western areas than you we re drier day in western areas than you were expecting. we were talking about going outside and it will probably be an ok day for it? not bad for most. i heard a word heatwave, but it turns out it was saying not quite a heatwave, selective hearing. sainsburys is the latest retailer to let us know how they did over christmas. steph‘s just been

talking to the boss. the sales are up between november december into january and what is interesting is if you break those figures down and look at the grocery side of the business it has done the best which is no surprise given everything we have been talking about over the last few days with how things are working at the moment, spending more money on food but not so much on other areas. if you look at clothing, not so bad, but general merchandise because they own argos and habitat as well, that is down by more than 2%. it's a mixed picture of a not too bad, i asked michael cooper the chief executive about it. it continues to bea executive about it. it continues to be a challenging market but we saw growth in the grocery business, there is an improvement on the performance of the previous quarter saw the trends are moving in the right direction. but it's a challenging market and we are clearly seeing pressure on household incomes which reflect in some of the

performances not just in incomes which reflect in some of the performances notjust in our business but in the market more generally. lost a bit of market share off the back of that but the other thing i asked about was the coconuts because we have been talking a lot about plastics and the problem sainsbury‘s have had is they have been criticised for wrapping an organic coconut in plastic so i asked about that as well.” organic coconut in plastic so i asked about that as well. i will be asking the questions about some teams as to why we need packaging on something like a coconut. did you think it was daft? i would agree with you and i will ask the question. so there we go, somebody will be asked questions later. don't wrap your coconuts. thank you very much. this time last year billy monger was being tipped by many as the next lewis hamilton. he was 17, and a star of formula a racing. but after a horrific accident in april billy had both his lower legs amputated. his recovery and determination have astounded doctors, and this week — billy will be driving in front

of crowds for the first time since his accident. but anyone expecting him to take things slowly — might be in for a shock. tim muffett reports. ‘billy whizz‘, a nickname he was determined to keep. it's nine months since billy monger had both lower legs amputated after a car crash. this is a final practice before driving with a stunt team at birmingham's nec. the aim is to put on a good show. we've got a great team, a great bunch of lads doing a show, i am just hoping everything goes smoothly and we have a good time and do ourselves proud. dunnington park, last april. when billy's formula a car hit a stationary vehicle. commentator: that is horrendous! all i wanted to do was to get through it and be alive.

there was a slight moment, when i thought i wouldn't drive again. it hasn't changed the dream. the dream stays the same, i want to be an f1 driver. you've got your prosthetics and you're still able to control the car and the pedals. many people would find that really extraordinary. when you control the pedal normally you do it through your ankle, that is how you control your input to the pedals. because i don't have ankles, the way i control it is through my leg like this. rather than going like that, it'sjust a push motion instead, to control the car. terry grant has been training billy ahead of the international event. he's one of the world's top stunt drivers. drive out, drive out! billy's a very special lad, for sure. regardless of his injuries.

the moment you are rehearsing on an airfield there is going to be concrete pillars were the cones are. the level of control he has now, for prosthetic legs, it is phenomenal. although billy can use the accelerator, his car has been modified so that this lever controls the brake. he has been backed by mission motorsport, a charity which typically helps wounded servicemen and women driving, often in specially adapted cars. the freedom of mobility is a phenomenal thing. if that's taken away from you as an adult, it has a dramatic effect on your life, on your personal freedoms, and also, i think, on your sense of self and your independence. and to be able to give that back to somebody is an extraordinary thing to be able to do. what did the family think about you getting behind the wheel? my mum was very nervous! but if i don't do it what else am i going to do with my life? i need to make my life into something positive. billy monger, back

in the driving seat. very good luck to him, seriously inspirational young man. brilliant tv. let's get the news travel and weather where you are watching. this is business live from bbc news with samantha simmonds and tim willcox. all systems go — the world bank says the global economy is set accelerate this year. but will everyone feel the benefit? live from london, that's our top story on wednesday, 10th january. it's being predicted the global economy will operate at close to full potential for the first time since the financial crisis of 2008. we'll assess what impact that will have on real prosperity.

also in the programme: airbus seals a huge deal with china to supply 18ajets. we'll assess what this means for the company.